


Route 800

by orphan_account



Series: Desert Bluffs stories [3]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Desert Bluffs, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Identity Issues, Mental Instability, POV Multiple, Recovery, carlos is a cinnamon roll, strexcorp aftermath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-26
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-04-23 11:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4874998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's time we think about route 800, dear listener.<br/>You know what road I'm talking about. The one edged by informative art and growing iridescent tongues.<br/>Does it even lead somewhere, you wonder? Well, don't ask me. I've never been to route 800 before.<br/>But you have."</p><p>-So here is yet another Kevin-centric story, focusing on repairing the damage Strexcorp has made.-</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GuesssWho](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuesssWho/gifts).



> I was asked for a happier sequel, so here it goes..
> 
> (It can be read as a series together with my other two stories but you don't need to read them to understand it. The story starts where "We need to talk about Kevin" left off/ with Cecil and Carlos taking Kevin home from the otherworld.)  
> The first few chapters will take place in Night Vale and afterwards they will jump between Night Vale and the Bluffs.  
> \---
> 
> " You were born an original.Don’t die a copy."  
> —John Mason-

_It's time we think about route 800, dear listener._   
_You know what road I'm talking about. The one edged by informative art and growing iridescent tongues._   
_Does it even lead somewhere, you wonder? Well, don't ask me. I've never been to route 800 before._   
_But you have._

_You know you've been there, even though you might not recall it._   
_Let me help you remember. Let my words guide you down to your car._   
_Turn the key. (Yes!) Leave this street behind you. (Exactly!)_   
_You are doing great this far!_

_Now take the turn onto route 800! You are driving. Only the car and the road below it's wheels. Your lights reaching a few inches before being swallowed by total darkness._   
_You pass by a street sign at some point and it reads: "You are leaving... now"._   
_The name might have been one or another. That's not important. It's the you that counts._

_There is a certain sweetness to the feeling of driving through the night on your own._   
_You go further and further, until suddenly you stop._   
_You don't know why, but then again, do you even know why you drove this far in the first place?_

_The door of the car shuts with a click as you get out. Walk around the vehicle, and look at the sky above you._   
_The milky-way draws a perfect parallel to route 800. Then you stare into the night in front of you and see nothing._

_On the other side there is another person from another place, doing the exact same thing._   
_Just far enough, so you both don't notice through the blackness._   
_It doesn't matter, who that is or where they came from._   
_As I said, **only you matter.** _

_After a moment passes, you get back in, and as you start your car, you think you see something else flickering up in the darkness._   
_Just one second and then you have turned around._   
_Back home you go to sleep and in the morning you won't remember anything._

_Maybe you should try a little harder next time. You know, go the extra mile, see where that light came from._   
_It could be important._

_Look, I wasn't being completely honest before, when I said the other one doesn't matter._

_Only you matter._

_Both of you._


	2. Arrival

_" I'm sorry, if I sound a little tired. It's just been kind of a tuff week.  
_

_Dear listeners, Carlos and I have a guest at or house._  
You may or may not remember him from trying to take over our town about a year ago and recently getting into our show through a time paradoxical signal.  
That really depends on whether the secret police has been messing with your memory lately, I guess.  
Oh, which reminds me: Could you please stop arresting me every day when I try to leave the house only to excuse for the error and let me hurry to work?  
It's getting quite exhausting and the difference is not THAT hard to spot.

 _The secret police is still discussing whether or not to drop charges and no official statement has been made this far._  
Former mayor Pamela Winchell has given a press conference in which she talked about the importance of non-existing winged figures for our economy.  
So that wasn't very helpful.  
In the meantime Kevin will be under house arrest at our place.

_It's not always easy, you know. He's only been here for a week and Carlos and I already miss the personal space we used to have together.  
But we are really trying our best and we are getting.. used to each other, I guess. _

_Anyway... let's get back to the gigantic bat attacking the Arby's."_

 

* * *

 

(One week earlier)

The car pulled into a street Kevin had never seen before.  
Well, he had never seen that much of Night Vale after all.

When they opened the door, a small, brown mongrel jumped at them, barking in excitement. But when he held his hand out it whimpered and backed away.  
"Never mind. She's just a little shy."  
The whole house was full of strange, yet appealing art only Cecil could have possibly produced.  
It was tagged to the walls, standing on shelves or even carved into the furniture.

 He showed Kevin into a small guestroom. "I know, it's not particularly big, but.."-"Cecil, why are you doing this for me?"  
Cecil's hand wandered over the wall that probably used to be blue once.  
"Well, first of all you helped Carlos back in the desert otherworld and secondly.." His fingers stopped at a point in the middle of the wall, where the paint had started to crumble. "We were so similar, I just thought if Strexcorp hadn't come to Desert Bluffs first.."  
Kevin nodded, so Cecil wouldn't need to finish the sentence.

"Oh, by the way. What happened to Lauren?" The question had bothered him for quite a while now.  
"Got away. She's still out there somewhere."- "Of course! That's a comforting thought." He sighed.  
"Guess the inhabitants of Night Vale still hate me?"

Cecil lifted an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you should wear sunglasses and avoid to speak in public for a while." Great. Kevin threw a look on his almost empty bag.  
"You can't baby-sit me forever. What then? What when you need your private space?" - "We thought at some point you might want to go back to Desert Bluffs.  
Some of the people you spoke to me about, they are still there and struggling with the aftermath as well.  
But right now, we want you here to recover! You won't have to face any of it, before you don't feel ready to."

"Thanks Cecil!" - "You would have done the same, right?"  
He thought about that for a moment, but didn't know the answer and when he turned back to Cecil, he had already left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Carlos was just reading the paper, when Kevin came running down the stairs.  
"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?" -"Ah, no! It's just Cecil making us some coffee."  
He laughed when he saw the disturbance on Kevin's face.  
" Oh, that's nothing. You should hear it after an argument." Soon afterwards the noise stopped because Cecil had begun to place the beans into the machine.

 Carlos noticed Cecil's confusion, as he watched Kevin toss one spoon of sugar, after the other into his cup. He didn't protest, though.  
Cecil checked his watch. "Oh, I should.." he looked a little helpless   
"Go!" said Carlos. "I'm going to stay here for today. " Cecil nodded thankful and rushed out of the kitchen.

They stayed at the table, each focused on their breakfast and Carlos was desperately looking for a subject to talk about.  
Things had been easier in the desert otherworld somehow. Back there it had been about surviving and having human(?) company.  
Now they were in his kitchen and not even able to make small talk.

"Should I.. um show you around the house?"  
"Sure!" They went from room to room and Carlos couldn't help but feel a bit of pride, for what Cecil and him had made here.

"Wow, that painting is beautiful!" Carlos blushed. He still wasn't really comfortable with the fact, that Cecil had placed a portrait of him in the middle of the living room and refused to take it off the wall. Still, there was no way to deny the skill it was produced with.

"How about you? Do you paint sometimes?" He knew the answer, before the other even opened his mouth.  
"Painting is a waste of time, as with all arts. "

Why did he even ask? "Besides." Kevin's usual smile slipped a little."Even if I tried, it would never be this good."   
"It's art, no exact science. There is no right or wrong."

 He thought for a moment.

"How about you paint the walls of your room? " - "Wouldn't that upset Cecil?"   
"No, he wanted to paint them anyway for a long time now, but he somehow never got around to do it.  
So you would  actually be doing him a useful favor. " It was a nice idea and would keep Kevin occupied for a while.  
There are still paint-pots somewhere, I think."

A few hours later he was knocking on the door of the guest room. "Can I come in?"  
"One sec!" Kevin slipped through a gap in the door frame. "You can't see it, before it isn't finished!"  
Still Carlos noticed splashes of yellow paint on his sleeves. Of course, what other color would he choose?

\---

It was already late, when the secret police rang their doorbell.  
Carlos joined Cecil at the entrance. He noted his boyfriend's distress and wondered, if it was due to the fact that they had tried to arrest him earlier, or that they were here for the right doppelganger this time. Possibly both.

"We are not sure, what to do about this." A female officer explained. "We are trying to reach one of our supervisors, but they aren't attainable at the moment.  
As long as we haven't gotten any further orders, we won't arrest him. "   
"But he can't leave the house." her colleague said. "Also you will be held responsible, for anything he does under your attendance."  
Carlos nodded in his most responsible "I know what I'm doing, I'm an expert" manner.

"Well." Cecil sighed, as they had finally left. "Guess that could have gone a lot worse."

 

* * *

 

 

Cecil had learned to read the little signs, that gave away which Kevin was sitting in front of him. There were big indicators, like the nature of his smile (How many teeth was it showing?) or the pitch of his voice (was it normal or a tick too sweet?).

And there were very small ones, like the way he brushed a hand through his hair (just the way Cecil did it in certain situations.) or certain words he used.

These indicators helped him to be prepared for whatever outburst might come next and react faster.  
Sometimes Kevin's moods were clearly polarized, while other times they could blur into each other in a matter of only a few seconds.  
But even in the clearly manic phases his outbursts were followed by shameful consciousness more and more.  
It was a start. At least Cecil hoped so.

Right now he seemed calm. Face relaxed, hands resting in his pockets, as he waited in the doorframe. Maybe a little insecure even.  
"I could over paint it again before I leave, if you want me to." There was a sheet covering the floor opposite the bed, where he had started to paint the wall.

"You really shouldn't!" Cecil's eyes wandered over the work in progress.  
It was a panorama sight, showing a field of sunflowers. There were only a few plants finished, but the detail was rather astonishing.  
It was definitely nothing Cecil would draw, still it fitted the room without being kitschy.  
"I like it!" - "You do?"

Kevin picked a brush up from the floor. " I thought, maybe you could give me a tip on how to make the clouds look more.. realistic. "  
Cecil took a step back to get an overlook.

"Maybe if you add a little grey on the bottom.. Mind if I try?"  
They spent a while brushing and over brushing the clouds on the wall, until they were both content with the result.  
When Carlos knocked on the door to ask if he may see it, their "Not yet!" came almost synchronically.

 For the first time since Kevin's arrival there was no awkwardness between the two of them and Cecil enjoyed the moment.

In the door he stopped once again.  
"Good night, Kevin!" he winked. "Until tomorrow, Cecil!" Kevin smirked back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned next for Kevin having a relapse and Carlos trying to keep things under control.


	3. A drop of blood

Now it happened sometimes, that Cecil caught Kevin moving identically to himself.  
Or was it Cecil moving identically to his double?  
From time to time they'd start the same sentence at the same time and then exchange glances.  
He did not like to admit, how much it worried him.

"I think it's pretty interesting." Carlos said, when he confessed him his concern.  
"His personality has been molded so much in the past, he probably needs something to indicate him how to behave.  
My theory is, that you act kind of like a role model to him, until his own personality is fully recovered. "  
Cecil thought about what that would mean if.. "It's not that surprising, since you live under the same roof now.  
Did you know, that couples heartbeats tend to synchronize?"  
He interlaced  fingers with his boyfriend's. "So, we have the same heartbeat?"  
"Probably. Right now, we might all do."

Cecil pulled his hand away again.

 

* * *

 

 

Carlos noted, how wide Kevin's smile was today.  
These days he had learned to avoid him in the desert, because he became really irritating.  
Cecil had already predicted it the evening before. He was definitely better at reading his double, while Carlos was more skilled on actually handling the different moods.

 But on these kind of days it was the hardest. The days when he was always a little too loud and a little too close.  
Leaving Kevin alone on a regular basis wasn't a problem anymore and so Carlos had started to leave the house early and come back after Cecil when he was like this.  
But today, Cecil was running late and he had decided to act just as normal as possible.

 The incident happened during cooking, when Carlos was chopping tomatoes.  
"Ouch!"  
Kevin, who had been cheerfully humming while cutting onions, (because of the obvious perk of not having eyes..) turned his head.  
"What is it, sunshine?"  
"I.. uh slipped with the knife. Could you go, get me a plaster? They're in the bathroom cabinet."   
"Of course!" He left and came back soon afterwards with a first aid kit.  
"Let me see!" Carlos started to feel a bit uncomfortable.  
"It's no big deal. I can handle it I think."

Kevin snapped his wrist and observed the cut with a wolfish grin.  
Then he lifted his arm up towards his mouth, apparently with the intention, to lick the blood off.

Carlos managed to free his wrist off the grip and slapped his hand away, when he reached out once more.

"Rude!" He came a few steps closer (which was way too close) and Carlos made a few back. That moment he noticed the chopping knife in his hand.  
He must have picked it up from the table.  
"You're so cold, since we aren't in the desert anymore. Why are you always so cold?  
Am I that much worse, than my double?"

He seemed to grow taller, more radiant with every second. A blinding glow behind his figure.  
The fingers of his free hand drilling into his shoulder.  
Carlos only managed to lift an arm between them in a try to shield himself.

"You are hurting me!", he whispered.

It was like his words were turning a switch.  
From one second to the other his shoulders dropped and the radiating smile faded.

Even if it was ridiculous in this moment, Carlos couldn't help but be reminded of a supernova blowing up taller and taller, before eventually collapsing into itself.  
What remained after such and event was usually a black hole. Or in this case, two black holes, staring at him in shock.

 The change was sudden but drastic. Kevin opened his mouth only to close it again, without any words leaving his lips. His wide, black eyes wandered from Carlos to the knife as it slipped his grip.  
With a clanking sound it hit the floorboards.  
Kevin then dropped to the floor next to it. Hands shielding his head as he stared at the ground." Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

As much as Carlos's mind told him to get away as fast as possible, he couldn't be afraid of him when he looked like this.  
He took a deep breath before he reached out and put the knife away from his range. (They'd definitely need to find a solution for handling sharp objects.)  
Then he tried to approach Kevin. "Stay away from me, please!" He jumped up and rushed out the kitchen.

Carlos took a moment, to fix the plaster around his thumb, making sure there was no more blood. He wanted to give him some time before he went looking for him.

 He found Kevin on the sofa in the living room, arms wrapped around his knees while fixing the TV screen, where some talk show was on.  
With a sigh he sat down next to him . "Is it interesting?" - "No. But it calms me down."  
He paused, as the people on the screen continued interrupting each other.  
"Are you going to throw me out now?" - "What? No! You are here so we can help you get better, remember?"  
In an awkward attempt of comforting the other, he padded his shoulder.  
"You really should throw me out! What if I hurt you next time?"  
"You won't." - "You can't know that." Carlos hoped he sounded as confident as he intended.  
"I do. Trust me. I' m a scientist!"

When Cecil came home, he found them, still sitting on the sofa. The TV was turned off, Kevin's eyes were closed and his head sunken onto Carlos's shoulder.  
One moment, Cecil looked irritated, but when Carlos lifted a finger to his lips to indicate, the other was asleep, the upset expression passed.  
Cecil just dropped his bag and snuggled up next to them, head resting on Carlos free shoulder.  
"You seem tense. Did something happen?"  
"I'm just really glad you're home."

 

 The next two days were more relaxing. Kevin was occupied with painting most of the time and Carlos had some time to focus on his work.  
He wondered how long it could possibly take for Kevin, to run out of space to draw on.  
It was only that evening, when he came rushing down the stairs. "Now it's finished. Want to see it?"   
"Sure!" Carlos got up and followed him into the small room.  
He gasped. "That's impressive!" And he really meant it. The style was nothing like Cecil's art. Neither better nor worse, just very different.  
Still he could see instantly, where Cecil had added to it.  
"It's almost, as if you were really looking at a horizon." There was a cloudy sky in the blue of the old, fainting color and a bright field of sunflowers beyond it.

 When he parted his glance from the walls again, he noticed Kevin was staring at him, but in a way that made him feel somewhat transparent.  
"You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were really ugly." - "Umm. Thanks?"  
"Now I remember why. I used to have a doctor who looked exactly like you. "  
"Interesting! So, you're saying I have a double as well?"  
Kevin shivered. "Yes and I hope you'll never have to meet him!" - "Did you know, that Cecil said the same thing about you, once?"   
"Oh, did he?", Kevin asked in a tone that seemed supposed to be threatening, but sounded simply amused.

 

* * *

 

 

Cecil yawned, when he entered the house.  
" That smells delicious!"  
He kissed Carlos, who was frying something in a pan, hello.  
"What is it?" - "Tofu curry."  
"Yum!" Then he noticed something else lying by the sink. "And what the hell is that?"  
Carlos didn't even have to check, to know what he was talking about. "Kevin asked me to pick him something up at the butchery today."

Cecil jumped aside, when his double suddenly stood next to him. "Your food is very good too, but I really needed something more ...satiable again. "  
With a few, fast steps he crossed the kitchen and placed the bloody something on a plate.  
"I'll take this up to my room, if you don't mind. I'm really not comfortable eating it in front of you."  
"Oh, sure. But don't you want me to warm it up first?" - "Nah. It's perfect like this!"  
One moment later he was out of the kitchen and up the stairs.  
Cecil turned back at Carlos. "Guess it's dinner for two then."

It had been a while, since they had eaten like this and the whole time, they chatted about their days and what happened at work.  
He was just placing his dishes in the machine, when Carlos handed him a paper.  
"I meant to tell you. There was a letter from the secret police under our door this afternoon."  
He grabbed the paper and started to read immediately. Only after a few sentences, he set it down again.

"They are dropping charges, because arresting him would mean they'd have to cooperate with the Desert Bluffs crime department?"   
"Yup. They even offered them to turn him in, but folks over there seemed rather uninterested.  
Guess, if they started to arrest former strex-supporters, they could as well just incriminate the whole town."

He continued reading.

_"For the time Kevin wants to stay here, he has to engage in community work._   
_He is allowed to move freely in Night Vale, as long as he keeps to the laws as anyone else._

_However there will be a few restrictions._   
_He needs to stay away from the nestling pit, the dog park and pine twin street nr. 30._   
_Not that there is our secret office or something._   
_In fact, we don't even have a secret office, or if we do it's too secret even for us to know about it._   
_Just stay away, okay?"_

 Cecil looked up.

"That's amazing news, but how do we get him under people again, without upsetting anyone?"  
"I've had an idea. Did you see the announcement flyers, that were all over town today?" Cecil couldn't remember seeing anything like that.  
"No, what is it?"- "A carnival is coming to Night Vale. That's neat, right?"  
He nearly dropped the glasses he was carrying from the table. "Another carnival? How did I not know about this?  
We succeeded to chase the last one out so we can endure this as well. "

"When did that happen?" -"Right, you were trapped in the other world then."

Carlos took a moment to process the information, before he laid his arms around Cecil's waist.  
"Are you thinking, what I'm thinking?" - "Depends. Are you thinking lets chase them out with fire?"  
"No, I'm thinking: Let's go to the carnival, honey!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned next for a chapter that isn't extremly plot relevant. (I just really wanted a carnival-story in this. )  
> Chapter 5 will be more serious again.


	4. Let's go to the carnival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so Night Vale didn't scare away the carnival this time.  
> They have a nice stroll around the fair and that's totally the only thing going on. Yup, definitely.

"I see a beautiful stranger entering town."  
The woman sat in front of Cecil, bare feet, her eyes reflecting the restless candle light that illuminated the tent.  
Cecil felt a bit uneasy, leaving Carlos and Kevin outside, but the fortune teller had insisted he needed to be alone to get a prediction.  
"This stranger will be a man of great knowledge and you will fall in love with him. "  
She closed her eyes before focusing on Cecil's hand again.  
"There will also be a monster. One name, but five faces. Purple is the only colour to trust."

Cecil backed up a little. "Um are you sure that's my future?  
It sounds a whole lot like the past to me."  
"Oh, not again!" The fortune teller let go of his hand in frustration. "You're already the fourth customer to tell me this today.  
Something is seriously wrong with time, since we got here." "Tell me about it!.. "

With curiosity he looked around the tent. There were cards laying on a table, waiting to be picked up and weird charms hanging from the ceiling. Everything as cliché, as you would expect.  
"Maybe if you try looking into the past instead, you'll see the future?"  
"I'll try. " The woman started to focus again. "Oh!" Her voice trembled, as she pointed a finger on him. "You! You will die someday and it will involve a mirror!"

 

Cecil had to blink, when he stepped back into the warm evening light.  
"Aand? Did she tell you anything interesting?" Kevin pushed his shades a bit higher. It was the perfect occasion for him to go out, since no one in the mass of people really took time to notice one another.

"You were right, total hoax! She didn't predict anything new." - "Told you so." Carlos nodded.  
"There is absolutely no scientific proof, why one should be able, to read your future out of your palm or some cards. "  
"Well there was something that worries me a bit.. I'm not sure, but it sounded like one of my interns is going to have an accident. I really hope she was mistaken."  
He scanned the crowd nervously and gave a man with a painted face and a big, red plastic nose his most suspecting look. "And I still think it was a bad idea to come here."   
"Just relax, you'll like it! You really never had a carnival in Night Vale before?"  
"Except for the one we chased out? No. Well, there was a Cirque du Freak once, but it just wouldn't leave. It couldn't leave.  
At some point it settled here and all the inhabitants became citizens. "  
Carlos looked as if he was resisting the urge to ask, whether he knew any of them.

 Then something else caught his attention. "Oh, let's go to the tunnel of horror!"   
Cecil was confused. "Well, that doesn't sound inviting. What's it for?" - "Um, you sit in there and pay them money to scare you."   
"Why on earth would you do something like that?"  
Carlos reflected a bit on the question, but Kevin was already pointing on the next tent.  
"This one looks fun!" The inscription over the entrance read _Mirror Labyrinth._ "Nah, I think I'm good." Cecil shuddered.  
"Maybe we should split up, then? " Kevin suggested. "I'd really like to have a look around, myself and I guess the two of you wouldn't mind some time together.  
See you later by the big wheel?"

Cecil watched his double disappear into the crowd. "I've got an idea as well. How about you try, winning me something at one of these booths  and afterwards it's your choice. "  
"Deal!  What do you want?"  
He let his eyes wander over the displayed prices. "This one!" He had discovered a gigantic blue plush dog, hanging from the ceiling of the booth.  
"Cecil, that thing is bigger than your own dog. Are you sure, you don't want me to win you a rose instead? " - "Yes!"  
Carlos sighed. "Well, I guess it should be possible, if I throw from the right angle.."

He did not win the dog. Instead he won a rose but Cecil was just as happy about it and wouldn't let go of it for the rest of the evening.

 "But now we are going to the tunnel of horror. No way around it. He pulled him towards the entrance, where they got in line behind two Erikas.  
After a while they took their seats and the ride rolled on.  
For someone used to hooded figures and the presence of a faceless old woman, there were sure more scary things, than dressed up people, suddenly stepping out of the dark but Carlos yelped every time and held a little faster onto Cecil's shoulders. And Cecil really didn't mind.  
The tunnel of horror wasn't that bad after all.

Carlos's laugh shook a bit, when he stepped out of the wagon.  
"Now let's do something a little more.. relaxing. "Sure, it's time to head over to the big wheel anyway, isn't it?"  
Suddenly he felt like someone was watching him in the mass of people, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't make out who it was.

When he turned around again, Carlos was gone.

 

* * *

 

The evening went from dim to darker and the first colorful lights were flashing up everywhere.  
He had watched an acrobatic show and bought himself a fruit-stick with chockolate strawberries. After waiting by the big wheel for what felt like a small eternety, Kevin decided to go look for the others.

The air was thik with music and the sound of laughter and the sheer mass of the crowd started to stress him out a little.

Where did all these people even come from? He didn't know, there were so many living in this town.  
Some of the them were actually strangely familiar. The faces, not the people Kevin reminded himself.  
  
Had this man just stared at him? (Wearing sunglasses at night wasn't exactly subtle, after all.)  
Suddenly he felt everyone was watching him. Judging him silently.  
When he heard a womans shoes clicking somewhere near, he turned his head and bumped into someone.  
He mumbeled an excuse and rushed on. Heading into the direction, where he assumed the entrance gate was.

 Kevin only noticed the wheelchair rolling over the sandy ground, when it was right in front of him.  
At first he thought the girl was waving at someone else, but then she said. "Hi uncle Cecil! This carnival is amazing, isn't it?"

Kevin didn't reply.

"That isn't Cecil, sweetie."  
Steve Carlsberg stepped a bit closer, as to shield his daughter.  
"Oh!" There was no fear in the girl's eyes. She looked rather thrilled.  
It hit Kevin, that he should probably say something as well. "Janice, right? Cecil talks about you all the time! Where'd you get that gigantic plush dog?"  
"Dad won it for me." She squeezed the blue animal. - "Amazing! Bet you've got to hit a lot of cans to win that. "- "All of them." -"Wow!"  
Steve Carlsberg stepped from one foot to the other, as if he didn't know wheter to look suspicious or proud.  
"Anyway, are Cecil and Carlos here too?"  
"I'm actually looking for them."  
"Well then, greet them when you find them.. or don't, if you think it will only upset Cecil. " Steve added.  
"I will!"  (Why would he possibly be upset about it?) 

Afterwards he felt a bit more relaxed. He strolled on, until he finally found the handsome face he had been looking for.  
Carlos turned around in relief. "Here you are." Everything alright?"  
"I'm fine, just got lost for a moment. Want one?" He offered Carlos the fruit stick, but he shook his head.  
"Thanks but I'm allergic." - "To what, chocolate?"  
"No, strawberries." "Well, that's weird," he noted, as he took another bite.  
"Were did you leave Cecil, by the way?" - "I hoped, you'd know where he is. He doesen't pick up his phone."

 

* * *

 

  
This was bad. This was very bad.  
Cecil hurried towards the exit of the tent, carefully avoiding the men with the painted faces.  
He made it past most of them, but one got a hold of his jacket. He tore at it with all his might and the figure hissed in return.

Hopefully, Carlos was all right!

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was a bit worried about Cecil.  
Carlos had only stopped a moment to tie his shoelace and when he looked up again his boyfriend was out of sight.  
He was so distrustful of everything here, he'd sure assume the worst, when he couldn't find him.

Folks over here were just to suspicious of the unknown. Not everything wanted to kill you after all.  
For one moment he remembered, how he had visited the carnival as a child and later as a professor.  
It felt like the memory wasn't his own. It must have been in another lifetime, when he wasn't in Night Vale and the word normal held still meaning to him.

"Where would you go, if you were stressed and looking for us?"  
Kevin didn't need time to think before answering. "The entrance gate."

They had just made it to the gate, when someone finally tapped his shoulder. "Here you are! I'm so glad, you're alright!"  
Cecil really did look distressed. He was heavily breathing and his cloths were torn.  
"What happened to your jacket?" - " Got stuck at one of these tents. I must have ripped it, when I rushed out. Anyway, I've still got the rose." He held the flower up with a proud smile.  
Carlos felt kind of guilty for loosing him.  
"Want to go on the big wheel, to calm down?" - "Honestly, I think I've had enough carnival for today."

 

Cecil's hand felt warm in his own as they strolled back trough the gates of the empty parking lot. Carlos turned around once more, only to find a face dissapearing into the darkness between the tents.  
  
The mysterious lights threw their flickering shine onto the dark streets.  
Kevin walked a few feet in front of them.  
Gazing up at the glowing and trying to figure out, if he could already find the way back on his own.

"You were right, I enjoyed this a lot more, than I thought I would. Although it was a bit stressful, how the people with painted faces attacked me. Still, I really hope the carnival will find it's way here again sometime."

Carlos smiled. He had known Cecil would like it. He was a hopeless romantic after all.  
"I hope so too, honey. Maybe we could.. Wait! What was that part about the clowns?"  
"Oh, when you went missing I went looking for you in one of the tents and may or may not have gotten a fight with some of them.  
They tried to hit me with tortes and bite me with their sharp, false teth. Carnivals, right?"  
"Are you telling me, that the whole time they were actually evilly plotting?"

"Well, isn't that what carnival is all about in the first place?"  
Carlos didn't reply. Maybe he had spent to much time in Night Vale already, to be weirded out by anything.  
He squeezed the radio host's hand a little harder.  
That moment Kevin turned around.  
"I almost forgot. Greetings from Steve Carlsberg and Janice. He won her the cutest price ever!"

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned next for a first trip across route 800, finding what you left behind and what might still lay in front of you.


	5. Unclosing doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Todays proverb: What's the point in a door, if it isn't opened?

They had left all car windows open, so they wouldn't be fried by the noonday heat.  
Cecil watched the small moon, dangling from the driving mirror, while Carlos focused on the road.  
"Are you sure, you are ready for this?"  
Kevin shrugged. "If I don't face it now, I don't think, I'll ever be able to do it."  
From an exit on route 800, they entered the towns suburbs.

There was a knot in his stomach, tightening with every "for sale" sign, hanging inside an empty shop window.  
The navigation system guided the car to a street he just knew too well.  
Somehow it surprised him, to actually find his house unchanged. So much had happened, it just felt kind of strange for it to still be there.  
Before he had left for Night Vale for an uncertain amount of time, he had closed all the blinds and cleaned out everything that would decay in the meantime.  
So the house rested, as if the owner was just on holiday. With all markets down, no one seemed to care if the property stayed empty, anyway.

In the front garden, he searched for one specific flowerpot.  
No plants were growing in the sand-dry earth anymore, but he recognized it from a small mark.  
Carlos and Cecil watched him puzzled, as he picked up the pot and smashed it onto the ground.  
Between shards and dusty earth he found something glittering. "Here we go!" Kevin picked up a key and wiped a bit of dirt off.  
"You do realize, that's a horribly bad hiding place, right?" Cecil commented.  
"It's still there, isn't it?"

Thank god, he had had the decency to clean up everything before he left. That made one problem less to take care of.  
"I wouldn't open the curtains." Carlos stopped in the movement.  
"Why not?" - "Because there is still a strex-pet lying around somewhere and I'm pretty sure those things run on solar energy."  
The whole house felt like a strangers. It wasn't exactly what was there but more what lacked.  
Before seeing Cecil's home he wouldn't have thought a house could have a personality. Maybe because this place clearly lacked of one.  
As if it had been arranged for a magazine and then left empty without anyone ever actually living there.  
If he really wanted to move back in, he'd need to replace at least half of the stuff. Preferably most of it.  
He had a dark idea, that some of the old things were still stocked in the basement somewhere, but that would have to wait until another day.  
Now he just opened a few drawers and tossed cloths and other stuff into his bag. The station key was dangling from it's place on the wall.  
That moment, Cecil called from the living room. "We found the strex-pet!"  
"How about we wrap it into something light-impermeable and take it with us?" Carlos suggested. "I'd like to have a closer look at it at the lab."  
"Sounds like a plan!"

\---

Visiting the station was the less inviting thought. Carlos stopped the car on the parking lot, in front of it.  
"Why don't you want me to come up?"  
"Cecil has been to my studio before. I think he knows, what expects him. I really don't want you to see it, though."  
The lift was out of order, so they took the fire escape.  
When they reached his floor, Kevin would have loved to back off and hide in the car. It was a déjà vu of the sickening kind. Like pasts from parallel universes colliding.  
But he wasn't alone. Cecil was here too and even if that didn't make the situation less absurd, it made it somewhat bearable.

They could already smell it from the floor. Cecil lifted a hand to cover up his nose and even Kevin's stomach turned.  
Strexcorp might have spilled a lot of blood, but they were also always making sure, hygienic standards weren't harmed. No one likes the smell of month, if not year old gore. "Did they really leave the station like this?" "Well, there were a few offices on the other floors but they were all strex related. Guess no one has checked on them."  
"He turned the key and pushed the door open just enough, to gaze trough the gap.  
The sight was just as unpleasant as he expected.  
Cecil made a step backwards. One hand still shielding his nose.  
" I'll faint if I go any closer. Isn't there someone we could call, to take care of the mess? "

There had been a cold knot inside his stomach, ever since they entered town.  
Ever since he saw the uneven streets and smashed in windows.  
Now the knot unraveled into a burning mixture of anger and helplessness.

"Like who? There is not even garbage collection here, in case you've forgotten!"  
He slammed the door closed again and opened his palm so the key dropped to the ground.  
" I really hope the new opera house in Night Vale is going to look good, thogh. How many balconies are planned?"  
Cecil's voice darkened. His face this blank non-expression, that always irritated him.  
"Are you blaming us now, for liberating the town? Would you rather have Strex in charge again?"  
For a moment they just fixed each other.  
When he noticed, his crossed arms were mirroring Cecil's pose once again, he shifted them immediately.

"We should probably head back. "

 

* * *

 

 

 

Somehow the air over here was a lot drier, than in Night Vale.

Even with all windows open, Carlos only managed to stay in the car for a few minutes, the heat was just too overwhelming. He wondered, how long the others would stay inside the station.  
After trying to lean against the vehicle and nearly burning himself on the hot material, he decided to go, buy some water at the store he had seen just around the corner.

 

The bell of the shop rang tinny, when he entered.  
There was a girl on her mobile phone, looking bored in the way, you only do in your late teens.

"We're out!" - "Excuse me?"  
The girl let the phone disappear into her pocket. "Whatever you're looking for. Pretty sure we're out of it."  
"Actually, I was just looking for some water. " - "Oh, then you're lucky. Water is, where it always stands."  
Carlos searched in the direction, where she had been pointing.  
There was really not much inside the shelves left, apart from some toast and dried fruit. He took a small bottle and went to the counter to pay.  
"You don't have to come here every day. " The girl checked her phone for a new text.  
"No more fresh supplies coming this week. So we won't have your Oreo-cookies tomorrow either."  
"Um, ok... " Carlos nodded goodbye and left the shop a bit confused.

On the way back, he passed by the post office.  
He wasn't sure exactly, what made him stop in front of the door. Something that reminded him of the dizzy feeling, you have just before checking the results of an experiment. (Were you right, or will you be left with even more confusion, than before?)

When he looked at the building, the air was flickering between him and the glass front.

He studied his blurred reflection for a brief moment.  
How weird. He could not remember wearing red flannel.  
He looked down at himself and the color of his shirt was green as he expected.

Only then it hit him, that his reflection hadn't moved but was still staring directly at him.  
Only then it hit him, it wasn't his reflection.

The glass-door slid open between them and his double smiled widely.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have unlocked one new character!


	6. Preconceptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possible hiatus warning:  
> So, since I am leaving for New Zealand this week :-D, chapters won't be updated this often.  
> I'll be gone until January, but I'll probably continue writing anyway. (it has become sort of a habit..)  
> I just don't know, how regularly I will be able to upload new content.  
> \---

"Hey there, wait up!"  
Carlos walked a tick faster.  
"Don't tell me, you don't find this just as fascinating, as I do!"  
It was fascinating, and scary and definitely nothing he wanted to have to handle as well right now.  
"Please, stop following me!" - " It's a free state and I can walk, where I want to. "  
  
He made it down the street and his double still showed no intention of leaving him alone.  
Carlos really hoped, Cecil and Kevin were still inside the building, but no such luck. The two men already waited in front of the car.  
Cecil looked as if he was seeing a mirage and Kevin stepped behind him, when he noticed, there were two of them approaching.

The man who looked just like him was still talking about secondary socialization and twin studies.  
He didn't seem to mind that Carlos ignored all of his questions.  
When he stopped walking in front of the car, his double stopped chattering.  
He had noticed Cecil.

"Have we met before?" He seemed to be reflecting on where he knew the face from.  
Then his look fell over Cecil's shoulder on Kevin. "Of course! Now I remember you. You were the only case of, you know.." He made a circling gesture over his eyes.  
"But we fixed your sight. "   
"And my personality!" Kevin snapped back in a surprisingly collected voice.  
Just a slight trembling of his fingertips gave him away.

If the other noticed, he didn't seem to care.  
"What was your name again? I'm really curious how the thing with your eyes worked out. Are there any flaws?"  
"You mean apart from not having any? And my name is none of your business!"  
"But it's so interesting. I mean, I was never really sure if it was the result of my work or just.."  
Cecil took a step forward, so he was standing between the two of them again.  
"If you really want to see the results of your work, I dare you to go up there! "

For the first time, the man seemed to be alienated. He looked up at the building, then back at him again.  
Carlos thought it was the perfect opportunity to leave. He hopped into the car and started the motor, as soon as the radio hosts were inside as well.  
His doppelganger looked strangely amused, when they drove past him. He just stood there, staring at the car, until they disappeared around the next corner.

A collective sigh escaped their lips, as they crossed the suburbs again.  
"Thanks Cecil.. and sorry, for up there.", Kevin murmured, while watching the last houses make place for the open desert.  
"Sorry too. What I said wasn't exactly fair of me." Cecil replied. Carlos decided not to ask, what they were talking about, as long as they seemed to be getting along again. He was still not over meeting his other. It was so confusing. Not even a feature differencing the two of them, apart from the way they moved and talked.  
When he looked over to the passenger seat, he found Cecil grinning. "Jealous? I mean, it must be a shock, meeting someone as handsome as you."

 

* * *

 

_Night Vale, huh?_

Manuel stood in the middle of the empty parking lot, memorizing the car's license plate, as it drove away.  
He had always thought, people were exaggerating, when they said how unfriendly folks over there were, but apparently they had a point.

He didn't know exactly, what had happened between the two towns.  
People avoided the subject and he never asked. No one ever did.  
Manuel was normally fine with this. He was a doctor after all, not a diplomat. This was his place in society and he was proud of it, even if it meant sometimes ignoring his curiosity.  
After living for some time (...well, how long exactly?) in this town he had stopped to question every unusual occurrence .  
The only thing he knew for certain about it was, everything was going downhill, since these angels showed up.

Manuel didn't feel guilty for his work under Strex.  
He had just dealt, like everyone else who valued their safety. However he certainly didn't miss the buisness either.  
Still, he did miss clean streets and progressive medications. He had run out of his own supply of strex-meds a few months ago.  
The asphalt had sucked up the afternoon heat and was now throwing it back with twice its force.  
The sky was so incredibly blue...

 What was it, he wanted to do again? Oh, right. Visiting the shop around the corner.  
In a few hours, another night-shift started and he really needed some sugar to make it trough.  
He started walking, but then stopped once again to look up at the building. He had passed it so many times before, without ever really noticing it's existence.  
It looked like one of these ghost offices they had more than enough of, these days.  
_Desert Bluffs Radio station_ , informed a small sign. The sign was pale from the constant sunlight and some of the letters had already started to fade.  
He didn't know, this town had a local radio. Or, as it seemed, once had one.

 What did they even want here, the unfriendly neighbors?

Why come to this empty building of all places, and what did it have to do with him?  
The fact that one of the men was a former patient, led to the assumption, that he was from the Bluffs as well.  
He remembered someone telling him about Night Vale and people there being like copies of folks here.  
But even if this was true, why would one of them look like him? It made no sense, because he wasn't even from Desert Bluffs.  
With a sudden uncertainty, Manuel reached for his phone.  
_"Simon, it's me. Yeah, I'll be there in time.. just.. do you remember how long it has been, since our team first arrived here?"_  
  
While the man on the other end fell silent, he entered the station.  
Let's see what the people from Night Vale had wanted.  
Maybe, this would be a first step to understanding. Maybe things would finally start to make sense again.

 

* * *

 

Of course, his reputation had been faster, than him.  
Kevin had already expected the first day of community work to be somewhat weird, but not that awkward.

Apparently the number one criteria of finding a task for him, had been to keep him as far away from everyone, as possible.  
The work included stocking things and was hardly any more interesting, than hanging around at Cecil's place, but at least it was something to do.  
If it allowed him to move freely around Night Vale, it was good enough of a start.

The secret police officer, who showed Kevin into work, kept a five feet distance from him, while explaining everything.  
Afterwards he stayed just close enough to keep an eye on him.

On the street it wasn't much better. Most people didn't notice him, but a few looked suspicious or even changed the side of the street.  
He wasn't quite sure which way to take back to Cecil's house. (Carlos had offered to drive him, but he insisted to go on his own.) So he tapped a man on the shoulder.  
"Excuse me, could you tell me, where.." The man turned his head and yelped, when he recognized him. Then he rushed away, without any further explanation.  

But the strangest thing happened right afterwards, when his look fell on a girl, who seemed to notice him, without making a detour.  
He had just stopped to ask for the way, when she wrapped her arms around him without any warning.

_"Um hi there, what are you doing exactly_?"  
_"I'm hugging you,"_ said the girl still making no attempt of letting him go.  
Then she stepped back and looked at him the way you would maybe look at a injured puppy.  
_"I've heard the broadcast a few weeks ago. Everything will be alright!"_

When Kevin told this story during dinner, Cecil nearly chocked on a potato he had been eating.  
"Pffft! Well, sounds like she lacks of a healthy sense of danger. Did you at least try to strangle her back?"  
Carlos gave him a warning look.

"I asked for directions and found the way. Still, it bothers me."  
Cecil looked more serious again. "I could try to address the subject in the show, if you think it might help."  
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. " - "Yes?"  
He laid the fork aside.

"It's just.. I've been thinking about how people have this image of me, before they even know me. I don't want everyone I meet to either pity me or look like I'm about to rip their throat out."  
"So, what are you suggesting?"  
Kevin pulled at the sleeves of his pullover.  
"I'm trying to say, that I want to be on the radio again."

 

 

 

 


	7. Voices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized, that I suck at writing broadcasts. I tried to cut out the bad parts and there wasn't that much left.  
> So, there is a lot less broadcasting in this chapter, than originally intended..

_He awoke in total darkness._  
_At first, that didn't ring any alarm. It had been a few weeks, since everything he refused to think about and he had gotten somewhat used to being blind._

_But the blindness had never been black. It was more like a light, blocking everything else out.. Wait!_  
Did this mean..?  
With a shaky hand he reached out and found a light switch.  
Blank, white walls flashed up around him.  
He had spent a lot of time, mentally measuring the room, picturing every corner of it. It gave him at least a hint of control.

_But now he could see again. He listened into himself. Waited for a reaction._  
...Nothing.  
The plastic infusions planted the numbness right into his veins, from where it grew to his heart and was pumped back into every cell of his body.  
He could see again, so what? Then, suddenly there was something.  
Steps, coming closer.  
Emotion swapped over him like a wave. (Did panic even count as an emotion?)  
The knob rattled and he froze. 

\--

Kevin's eyes flung open.  
The darkness around him seemed to be breathing. It was a lurking, fluttering breath.  
For a moment, he was caught up between dream and reality, fists clenched into the covers.  
  
Then, he collected himself. A hand reaching slowly out, for the light switch.  
The room's walls were anything but white and it calmed him down a little, as his eyes followed the lines of the painted flowers.  
The calmness passed again, when he heard steps approaching.  
  
There was a knock on the door. "Are you awake yet?"   
"Yes!" Kevin slipped out of bed and stretched his arms, in order to let the last memories of the dream fade.  
Carlos was waiting by the steps. "Do you still want to help Cecil with his broadcast?"  
"Of course!" It was exactly, what he needed right now.

 

* * *

 

"Hello, Listeners! We'll start right up with some important news.  
There have been sightings of weird, shadowy figures all over town.  
The creatures were said to be partly fluid and give you a cold sense of ancient knowledge, if you happen to pass through them.  
Several citizens have reported on unsetteling sighs, coming out of gullies. We suggest that you ignore those noises and stay as far away from the gullies, as possible.  
More on this story, as it develops."

"Now, as you sure remember, I promised I'd inform you every time Khoshekh does something cute.  
Since I have my colleague, Kevin in the studio with me, to confirm his adorableness, we'll interrupt, for some kitty news."-  
_"So, we stopped by at the bathroom earlier, to visit the station's cat.  
He's really cute, his skull is very shiny. And then the kittens. They are so adorable, you'd almost like to just take them with you. "_  
"Well, you know, some of them are still looking for a home. We can't take them to our place, because of the dog, but maybe someday.."  
_"Really? Can I choose one?"_  
"Sure, just.. not Mix-tape."- _"Mix tape?"_ \- "The grey one. "  
_"Oh. The one with the white paws is cuter any way.  I think I'll call it.. hmm"_  
"I swear to god, if you're planning to call the poor thing Desert Bluffs, I'll keep it."  
_"I wasn't going to." "How about...Snow flurry?"_  
"Whatever."

\--

When the wheatear started playing, Cecil leaned back on his desk and took a sip of his coffee.  
Then, he looked over to Kevin. He was uncomfortably staring at a point somewhere out in the air.  
"What is it?" - "Vanessa. I've tried to ignore her for a while now, still she's standing next to you."  
Cecil turned around, but of course there was nothing there.  
  
"So, you're still seeing her?" Kevin shrugged. "Her picture has somehow always been bound to a radio station for me.  
When I look up from the micro, it seems only natural to see her there."  
Cecil wasn't sure, how to react on that.  
"Well, at least you can see your intern. Danielle hasn't showed up the whole day. She's really starting to stretch it." 

\--

"We've got an update on the weird events."  
_"At least we suppose, the events are connected."_  
"There was a statement, saying:  **"I warned you. Over and over. Now it is to late. What did you summon?**  
**What did you bring upon all of us?"** "  
_"Well, that sounds like, at least one of us has a slight idea, of what is going on."_  
"The statement further declares, that the person would like to stay anonymous.  
You probably already knew all of that, since the message has been written all over the walls of all of our homes."  
_"Wonder, who that could have been."_  
"Anyway, there has been another announcement by the secret police, asking for all summoning activities to stop.  
I know, it might seem hard to get trough the week, without the casual oujia ritual, but it's for the safety of our own community."

\--

They were just about to leave, when his phone started buzzing on the desk. Number unknown.  
"How about you have another look on the kittens, I'll be there in a minute." Kevin nodded and left the control room.

"Cecil Palmer here, hello?"  
_"Hi, this is Manuel Sanchez. "_ \- "Sorry who?" Cecil fixed the phone between ear and shoulder, while he started, turning everything off.  
_"You probably remember me as the guy, who looks like your boyfriend. We met last week."_  
"Oh..." He stopped packing his bag, fully focusing now on what the man on the other end was saying. _"I'm calling on behalf of a former patient. I've done some research and I believe, he's currently staying at your place?"  
_ "I have no idea, who you're talking about and even if I did, it would be none of your business!"  
_"Okay, let me try that again. I know, he's staying at your place."_  
Cecil resisted the impulse, to just hang up.

_"I would like you to arrange a meeting. To check on his well-being."_  
"And why don't you call him your self, then?"

There was a short pause.

_"First of all, I couldn't find a phone number, and second, he wouldn't agree on it."_  
"Well I think, he's a grown man, who can make his own decisions."  
_"You're right on that, but you'll also have to see, that he's still in need of medical attention, whether he wants to hear it or not._  
_You probably think the problems he's facing are unique, but that's not true. We've dealt with a lot of people here and even if there is so much we don't understand we have found a few things, that usually help them get better."_  
  
Cecil threw a look back, to check, if the door was fully shut. "Are you talking about meds?" - " _Not explicitly. Take for example bloodlust. He's dealing with that, right?"_ -"Yes."  
_"Try vitamin C and wheat and wheat byproducts between meals."_ \- "That's supposed to help?"  
" _Just try it!_ _Does he experience Hallucinations?"_ He bit his lip. "It's really none of your business."  
_"Look, he might refuse my help, but he'll accept yours. We have the knowledge to improve his condition. So why let him needlessly struggle?"_  
"So, you're calling every patient you.. treated?" - _"This is a special case, since I can't check on him at the clinic."_ \- "I see."  
_"I'll mail you our tips, in case you want to have a look at them. If you write me which one worked, you'd be doing us a big favor. And about the meeting.."  
"_ I.. let me think about it, okay?" _\- "Sure, just give me a call."_  
  
After the doctor had hung up, Cecil ran a hand through his hair. What should he do?  
His first urge was, to consult Carlos about it, but then again, he already knew what his boyfriend would say.  
And he wasn't sure, warning Kevin was the right thing to do in this case.

He hadn't turned off the computer yet.  
As soon as he checked, he found an e-mail with an enormous appendix.  
Maybe he would tell Carlos about this and let him out on the meeting part.  
Kevin put his head through the door. "Are you coming, or what? "  
With a suspiciously fast movement, Cecil closed the tag on the computer.


	8. Eye to eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos found something helpful.  
> If everyone could just calm down for a moment and listen to what the desert's favorite scientist discovered.

Sometimes, when Carlos was working on something particularly interesting, he would completely forget about time.  
Today was one of these days. The sun had already gone down a long time ago but he hadn't noticed in the bright light of the observation desk.  
Only when he put the tools aside and looked over to the window, he realized how late it was already. (Maybe they would have to order something for dinner.)  
But that could wait, anyway.

He hadn't even fully started to take the strex-pet apart, but what he had seen so far was astonishing.  
The mechanism was mimicking an organic anatomy so well, the cables could almost be mistaken for real blood vessels.  
It was simply fantastic!  
He picked a small object up from the desk and wrapped into a plastic bag, carefully letting it disappear into one of his pockets. Then he rushed down the stairs.

The day had been hot, but the evening's breath was a lot softer and cooler.  
With a shiver, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, his right forming a fist around the bag. Steps fastening.  
He couldn't wait to show the others, what he had found.

 

* * *

 

Kevin noticed instantly, that there was something off about Carlos.  
Still he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, at first.

Like.. he was looking at him in a way he had always wished he would and there was something terribly wrong about it.  
He had just finished stocking, (still as dull as ever) when he found Carlos waiting by the front door.  
Normally he wouldn't be on the way back for a few more hours.

"Why aren't you at the lab?" - " Because I have something important to talk to you about. Preferably over coffee."  
"What? It's so important it can't wait until this evening but we still have time to get coffee?"  
 They crossed the street.  
"Just trust me! It will make sense, I promise."  
He handed Kevin a few coins. "Why don't you already order something and choose a table over there? I'll be back in a second, forgot something in the car."  
For a moment he stood there, trying to make sense of his own confusion, but then he got into the shop Carlos had pointed at. It would hopefully be cleared up soon.

"A mocha for?" - "Kevin." The girl behind the counter flinched a bit, but then immediately turned to her colleague to tell her the order.  
As he waited, he caught her, trying to spy through his shades.  
He decided to take a table as far away from the counter as possible.

 When Carlos finally arrived, he was playfully balancing a tablet with two chocolate muffins and some pink juice with a lot of whipped cream. "What is that?"  
"It's a strawberry shake." Finally his mind processed, what his senses had been telling him all along.

"So..." Kevin leaned back, focusing on keeping his voice together. (That normally helped.)  
"Where did you get this glasses? Were they hard to find?"  
"What do you mean? I always wear them, don't I?" - "Carlos always wears them."  
The man across the table let out a small laugh.  
"What gave me away this fast?" - " Something in the way you swing your arms when you walk.  Also, last week you were still allergic, to strawberries."

The other nodded slowly. "Good. Look, all I want is for you to listen. Afterwards you can still shout at me as much as you please."  
As he crossed his arms, his eyes wandered to the cup on the table.  
"Kevin. Of course! How could I forget that?"  
With an angry gesture Kevin turned the plastic cup with his name on it away from him.

Not-Carlos nipped on his not-coffee in a way, that reviled the lettering "Manuel" on his cup.  
"No worries! I already had your name. Went up into the building after the three of you left. Our medical interns cleaned your station, by the way.  
It's not really the first time they had to do something like this. Since I last spoke to you I've been thinking a lot about my work and how it affected people." - "Still affects people! And that thought really never hit you before?"

 Kevin took off his shades, hoping it would make the situation more uncomfortable for the other, but when he saw the fascinated look, he put them back on fast.

  
"Look, I'm just trying to do the right thing here. I did a bit of research, after I was up at the station and I thought, if you're still dealing with all of it, maybe I could help."

"I'm not a charity project.. Manuel! Just because you have a bad consciousness doesn't mean you can project it all on one person. Why don't you go, work in an aid organization abroad somewhere, if you believe you're still able to wash your lab coat white again."

He snapped his mocha off the table.  
"Besides, I'm the last one to judge anyone. You'll just have to learn to live with what you did! We all do."

Then he rushed out, ignoring the girls behind the counter who looked, like they had front seats in an intriguing play.  
Cecil's show should be over by now, so he decided to call him. "Could you maybe pick me up?"  
Only when he was down the street and sure, Manuel wasn't following him, he allowed himself to take a sip of the coffee.  
It was cold by now.

 

* * *

 

Cecil squeezed the steering wheel between his hands.

"But the station is clean again. That's neat, right?" - "Guess so."  
He tried to drive past the red van in front of them for the third time. For the third time the driver wouldn't let him and he had to slow down.  
"We can drive out again, if you'd like to."  
"Yes. I've meant to call my old friend Lorenz for some time now. I'm gonna do it right after dinner, to ask if we could meet up when I'm there.  
That doctor found me twice now, I really hope I won't run into him again. "

For a brief moment, Cecil was thinking about another subject, to get the focus of the conversation on.  
Any other subject, really. The weather, maybe?

"What I don't get though, is how he knew about when and where he would find me."  
The car in front of them (still the same van) suddenly stopped and Cecil had to hit the brakes. He exhaled, slowly.  
"Because I told him, okay?"

With more speed than intended, the vehicle rolled on again.  
For one moment, he lifted his eyes from the road. Kevin looked as if he had slapped him in the face.  
"Why would you do that?"  
"He called me up, the other day and seemed pretty reasonable. Did you even listen, to what he had to say?"  
"That's not the point! You can't just tell him where I am and leave me in the dark about it. "  
Cecil heard him grind his teeth, as they passed by the building lot of the new opera house. (If that wasn't perfect timing..)

"Well, would you have talked to him?" -  
"Of course not!"

He had to stop in front of a traffic light. Kevin loosened his seatbelt and reached for the door.  
"Oh come on, don't be ridiculous!"  
His double said nothing, but he stayed on his seat.  
The red van in front of them finally took a turn to another street.   
  
For the rest of the way they just sat there in silence.

 

* * *

 

Carlos could almost sense the conflict in the air, when he entered the house.  
He found Cecil in the living room, angrily hitting something into the keyboard of his Computer.  
"Where is Kevin?" - "Up in his room."  
He noticed, that his boyfriend looked more hurt than angry.

"Did you argue again?" - "I kinda messed up and he kinda overreacted." He placed a hand on Cecil's shoulder.  
"I'm sure you meant well. We'll talk about it later, ok?"

Then he went knocking on the door of the guest room.  
"Go away, I don't want to talk!"  
"Fine. You don't have to, but there is something I really wanted to show the two of you. I found something rather fascinating.  
Want to see what it is?"

Carlos decided to ignore the angry stares, they exchanged across the table.  
It reminded him of being a professor. Handling arguing students was one of the things he definitely didn't miss about his old job.  
Still, he remembered distracting them with a new problem had always been a good tactic.

"Do you know where the strex-pets came from?"  
Kevin's expression shifted to slight irritation.  
"Well, at first they brought them into town, but there was a small production, opening at some point.  
Actually, I think we drove past the building the other day." -"Amazing!"

Unable to hide the pride of his discovery, he pulled out the small bag from his pocket and opened the plastic zipper. "Do you know what that is?"  
Both looked puzzled at the object in his palm. It was a void colored ball with a duct at one end, where countless cables were sticking out.  
"Not the slightest idea."

"Today I started taking the strex-pet apart. The technology it runs with is beyond anything on the current state of our knowledge.  
There is so much to learn from it. But for now I just wanted to show you it's eye."  
"Oh, so that's what this is. " Cecil bowed a bit forward. " Does it operate with a camera or something?"

"Yes, but not only. It's mostly made up of photovoltaic cells. " Cecil and Kevin looked, like they still didn't really get what he was driving at.  
"This little thing supplies the whole machinery with energy. It collects it from sun light."

He placed it on the table. "The pet must have been running weeks after you abandoned it in your home. This small device produces enough energy in one day to support an entire household, during that period."

"That's pretty cool I guess, but why did you have to tell us this now?"  
"Because. It's revolutionary in alternative energies. Maybe you make a keychain out of it, then you could always recharge your phone. Or use it to operate a car."  
What I'm trying to get at is..  
Let's say, you could modulate and mass produce only this device. It would go big on the energy market. "

 Now Kevin reached forward, carefully balancing the eye in his hand.  
"You mean, like enough to boost an entire economy?"

"Well, you'd need sponsors to realize the whole thing first, but.. who knows?"  
Cecil smiled. "Sounds like another good reason to call Lorenz, what do you think?"

 

 

 

 


	9. Starry night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that new episode came in handy^^  
> Mayor Cardinal for president!

City hall had never felt this bone-crushingly huge.

Being mayor of a town is never an easy job.  
Being mayor of a town like Night Vale could sometimes feel like supervising a gigantic kinder garden (full of things trying to kill the children).

Dana sat at her desk, unmoving in the picture frame placed to underline her authority.  
The last few weeks had been especially exhausting with the whole King City affair and, of course, her brother's illness.  
She had felt so helpless in her big office.

But the problems had been solved once again and her brother was cured. Both without her contributing in any way.

Dana got out of the frame.  
For the first time in weeks there was nothing to worry about. Still. The voice of self doubt in her head was as strong as ever.  
She had refused her help towards citizens just because she was too caught up in personal drama.  
Did this make her a bad mayor?  
She frowned, because she knew the answer.

 The ringing of the phone on the desk, interrupted her worrying.  
"What's up?" She could hear her secretary rustle with some papers.  
"There is someone on the line. It's the mayor of Desert Bluffs. Should I connect you?"  
"Sure." She drummed her fingers on the desk, while wondering what they could possibly want.

Then there was a voice on the other side. _"Good morning, this is Dan Cardozo, mayor of your neighbor town Desert Bluffs."  
_ She decided to skip whatever way mayors normally introduced each other.

"How can I help you?" - _"To get straight to the point, were facing financial hardship, but that shouldn't be news.  
I wanted to ask.. Well.. We have a project in planning, that might help us out of our crisis but we really depend on funding.."_

Dana walked up and down in her office with the phone in her hand.  
Of course it wasn't really a question what she had to do. Night Vale had an unwritten codex on how to handle outsiders problems:  
1) Feel bad for them  
2) Distance yourself  
3) Come to the conclusion, that they are responsible for whatever happened to them  
4) Move on and forget  
It was just the proper way of dealing with your neighbors, without getting into trouble yourself.

 "I'm really sorry for your problems, " she started. "But regarding the history of our towns, I think you'll understand.." - _"Of course! That's also a great reason to take all the profit of our situation and use the money we have left for your towns benefits! "_ The person on the other end exhaled sharply.  
_"Sorry for snapping. It's just.. I'm really not comfortable asking for your help._  
My brother is sick and our hospital ran out of antibiotics. I wish I could be home, by his side, instead I'm here in my ridiculously large office, calling strangers for help..  
I sometimes feel like I'm just too young to handle all the weight of my job."

Dana gulped.  
"You know what? I have to check a few things. I will get back at you later."

She ended the call, but still run up and down.  
The picture of her brother, looking at her, eyes clouded with fever dreams, wouldn't leave her mind. That heavy knot in her stomach, when she nearly lost hope.  
For a moment she saw herself, sitting somewhere in an office not too different from this one and waiting for an answer.

It seemed, as if Desert Bluffs had suddenly moved a lot closer.

She had been a bad mayor.  
She hadn't been able to help her town, her brother, but maybe...

 With newly found enthusiasm, she left her office and made it down the hall to the front desk.  
The city council wouldn't be ok with this. They almost never agreed with any her decisions.  
But then again, she was the mayor after all. It was time, she started acting like one again.

"Call in the press! I have an announcement to make."

 

* * *

 

They had needed to delay the meeting with Lorenz two times already.  
The first time, because Kevin had another one of his mood swings and the second time, because some trees and bushes had moved themselves into the Desert Bluffs main street and made it impassable for traffic. But now, he was finally on the way.

There was only the noise of the hot desert wind, pushing in through the windows of the car. And the radio, where Cecil was talking about some monster, living beneath our feet.  
He was only paying halfway attention.

By the mention of Desert Bluffs, he closed the windows in order to hear him clearer. For a short moment Cecil's voice was replaced by the softer one of the young mayor.  
The broadcast was just finished, when the navigation system announced, he had reached his destination.

Somehow talking to Lorenz again, turned out to be a lot less awkward than he would have imagined.  
It was one of these times, when you see an old friend again and after a few moments you just click, as if you had never split in the first place.

They were sitting in Lorenz's house at the table. Kevin looked around the room, trying to remember if he had ever been here before. He had no clue.  
"How's that rich angel-guy called again?" Lorenz followed his look around the walls, as if he was seeing his home for the first time as well.  
"Do you mean his old name.. or Erika? "  
"Ah, I knew it was something like that! We asked him to invest, but he insisted angels weren't supposed to use money. Peculiar creatures these beings, right?"  
"You get used to them after a while. You get used to everything, I guess. Lucky for us, we won't have to rely on them anymore." - "What do you mean?"  
  
"You haven't heard the news yet?"  
Kevin realized, he was hoping to be the first one to tell him.  
"What news?" Lorenz smirked. "It would be nice to hear them out of your mouth, for old times sake." - "Night Vale's mayor just announced, the town would help us out with some money." He enjoyed the surprise on the other's face.  
"Really? That's great news!" - "I know, right? Almost to great." They both fell silent for a moment.  
"Let's just believe, that things are looking up for once."

After that, their conversation went on for a bit, mostly talking about people they knew and how they were doing.  
Kevin just mentioned the station had been cleaned, when Lorenz interrupted him. "So.. are you coming back?"  The question had been out in the air for a while now.  
He nodded slowly.  
"There is no set date yet, but I will return here. It's just where I belong."  
"Damn right! I mean, what is a place without a radio station even?."

After the meeting he felt a lot better.  
He even hummed a song, of which, he had long forgotten the lyrics.  
Maybe things would really be alright again, at some point.

\--

The next few weeks were kind of a blur.  
There was so much to prepare, so many decisions to be made.  
For a long time his departure had only been a distant idea, but now it was turning more and more into reality.

There were days when he was confident about the future and days he just wanted to hide inside his room.  
He kept in touch with Lorenz.  
Sometimes they would talk about the newest developments in their town or his plans to move back and other times they would just talk.  
In the middle of town, a small production of specialized solar cells had started operating, but it was to early to say how things would work out on long term.  
Only time would tell.

To Kevin, it felt like he was spending most of his days on route 800, on the way to one town or another.  
Sometimes Cecil or Carlos were with him, but most of the time he went on his own.

He avoided stopping by his house though. It scared him a bit to think about living there by himself, but he would make it work somehow. He always had.  
Better focus on the positive aspects of the move.  
One thing he definitely wouldn't miss, was the stocking, for example.

Also seeing the station in better condition again made him realise, how much he missed running his own show.  
When he was finished, Carlos came by, to see his efforts with the renovation.  
"Wow, it's starting to fill up with equipment again. Just. That stuff  on the walls, is it..?" - "It's red paint. I thought it would make it easier to get used to the surrounding again.  
Also even after a cleaning, they still were far from their original color and this is what came the closest."  
His fingers wandered over the desk, where the micro stood. He switched it on just to see the signal light on the wall blink up.  
Yes. He was looking foward to being back.

 As it always is with waiting, time crawled incredibly slow, until the moment was there and he felt completely unprepared.

 

* * *

 

It was the evening, before the leave.  
Carlos found Kevin outside. He had climbed onto the roof of the house, just a few steps away from the balcony.

He was just sitting there, looking at the rooftops under the endless night sky. Absolute darkness, only disturbed by a few sprinkled dots and the moon.  
It was a full moon. One half of it hanging in the sky, the other half floating on the little pool in the neighbors garden.  
The two sides were identical and therefore did not fit together. The moon was full.

Carlos cautiously climbed over the end of the balcony, focusing on always having a save grip onto the railing.  
It wasn't like he was afraid of heights. He just hadn't made the best experiences.  
Finally, his fingers let go of the bricks and he sat down next to the silhouette, he knew so well.  
"Nervous?" - "Somewhat.." Kevin's eyes were fixed on some vague point out in the void.  
When he turned back at him, there was an insecure flicker, but the next second it was already gone. Replaced by the usual optimism.  
"I'm sure, it's all going to work out fine. You just have to take what you've got and make the most out of it!"

Carlos laughed. "What?" - "Oh, you just reminded me of the first time we met. Remember?  
I was scared as hell, pointing a knife at you, shouting _Stay away! I've got a knife!_ and you just said, _"That's great, we can use it to slice things and build a shelter_."  
"I remember. Sorry 'bout that."

He looked up at the night sky as well.  
It was the sky he knew. The one he could name all the constellations of. And the ancient stories behind those names.

"You know, meeting Cecil was just as creepy.  
You come to a weird new town and there is this total stranger, hitting on you every time you meet and informing the rest of the community about it in the meantime. "  
His eyes wandered over the rooftops of the houses, behind which neon-color letters must be saying _Bowling_ Alley, somewhere.  
"And then, at one point you realize, that he's the only one, who truly cares about you."

"Are you talking about me behind my back?" Cecil leaned over the railing of the balcony.  
"We are always talking about you. You just haven't noticed yet."  
"Sounds alarming. Well, I guess I won't have to worry about this anymore."  
Cecil climbed over as well and Carlos almost had to look away, as he balanced over to them, with both arms stretched out like an acrobat.  
"It's going to be weird to have the house all to ourselves again."

"Don't pretend like you can't wait to have your private space back!  
I think you can handle a little weirdness. But I'll have to get used to being back home too."

Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.  
Shortly afterwards came an answer from inside the house. Carlos sighed. "I should head back in and give him his dinner."  
Cecil, who was still standing between him and the entrance, balanced towards the  balcony again.  
"You can always visit, you know."  
To his right, Kevin got up as well. "Yes. I think, I'd really like that."  
Carlos was still fascinated by the easyness, with which the voices climbed around, while carefully reaching for the railing again.  
  
The moon had moved over the roof and the reflection on the water was gone.  
On the other side of the street, a secret police officer, disguised as a tree, coughed.

 

  
 

 

 


	10. Welcome to Desert Bluffs -Epilogue-

Cecil leaned against the doorframe as he watched the car drive down the road.  
"It's going to be really quiet here." -"That's what it must feel like when your kid leaves for college," Carlos smiled.  
  
"Maybe we could adopt a child. We're experienced for everything now."  
The scientist gave him a worried look. "You're joking, right?" - "Hell yes! Going through this once was really enough. Also, I still have Janice."

 Cecil yawned. He got back into the house but still fixed the empty street through the window.  
"Do you think he'll be alright, though?" - "I'm sure of it." Carlos laid his arms around him.  
"I kinda feel sorry for Kevin. He has to return to this terrible place now."  
"It's not that bad." - "Yes, it is!"

For a moment he just closed his eyes. Feeling his boyfriend's chest move from breathing.

Then he pulled away from the hug.   
"So, what are we gonna do now? Bowling night?"

Carlos brushed a strand of hair out of his face.  
"Hmm it's still early. How about we go to the cinema and then order dinner here?"  
  
"That's such a smart idea! How about that movie with the trees and the chainsaw massacre?" - "Or maybe the Martian? I just finished reading the book and it's the most scientifically accurate Sci-Fi thriller in years."

"Fine, but then we order pizza and I get to chose the toppings." - "Deal."  
For the first time in what felt like forever, kissing in the living room didn't taste guilty.

* * *

 

From the passengers seat, he lifted box number one. Carefully transporting it up the steps.  
"Here you go." Kevin opened the grid that formed the front of the transport box and watched the kitten stepping out on it's snow white paws.  
With caution it started to inspect the floor.  
Then it stopped in front of what had once been a cat door, before he had sealed it.

"Looks like there is still a lot for us to do to make this place more comfortable. "  
He ran a hand over it's dark head. The cat looked suspecting but didn't back away.  
With the kitten he would at least have a need to come home instead of spending his whole evening at the station every day.

 The rest of the boxes was moved quickly. (Actually it was just one more box and a bag. There wasn't much more than what he had brought from the otherworld and the cloths he had taken from here.) He put them back into the drawers and instead threw everything with a Strex-Logo on it out.

It was still early when he was finished, so he decided have a look at the basement.  
Armed with a flashlight he went down and had a look at what was left between the cobwebs. There was some furniture he could still use. Kevin took a few colorful chairs up. For the heavier things he'd need some help.  
In a drawer, he found some sketchbooks filled with drabbles and ideas.  
"A wonder I haven't burnt those in order to save heating costs or something," he mumbled while closing the drawer again.

Only when he fed the cat, he noticed he hadn't anything for himself in the house. Well, that would have to wait until tomorrow.  
He placed himself on the couch and started going trough the sketchbooks.  
The kitten sat beside him. (You shouldn't let them onto the couch but what's the point if you have nothing to warm your stomach?")

One of the pictures struck Kevin's attention.  
It was the portrait of a young woman. She was smiling but someone had scribbled her eyes out with black marker, giving the whole face a grotesque note.  
On the other side of the page you could still see the original lake green shimmer through.  
He shivered.  
There were actually more pictures in a different style and without color. Pictures he could only have drawn during the time he had worked for Strex.  
If he could only remember.

Kevin went faster and faster through the pages, partly curious, partly afraid of what else he might find.  
There was another one of the woman in which he hadn't changed the eyes. Carefully, he ripped the page out.  
On the next one there was a.... The doorbell interrupted the turning of pages.

Oh, great.  
"What do you think, should we ignore it?" The cat just meowed and jumped off the couch. Proudly floating across the living room.  
With a sigh he got up as well and made his way towards the entrance.

"What the hell do you want?"  
The man in front of the door lifted up a green plastic bag.  
"Figured you haven't had time to buy something to eat yet. I drove all the way out to the store where they still have fresh food. Mind if I use the kitchen?"

Kevin tried to close the door but the other's foot was in the way.  
"How did you even know I was back here? More stalking?"  
"Actually, your friend Cecil called. He was worried you'd start to skip meals with no one checking on you."   
"Backstabber!" Kevin tried to hide a smile behind his angry tone.

Manuel removed his foot.

"So, are you planning to invite me in or do you want me to stay out here in the freezing rain?"  
"It's not raining." - "Well, it could start at any minute."

Kevin looked up at the perfectly cloudless sky.

There was still a lot, he wanted to throw the other on the head but instead he just stepped aside.  
"You'd better come in, then."

 

* * *

 

 

_Epilogue_

_Imagine a car driving down route 800._  
It's a dark car and it has a little moon dangling from the rearview mirror.  
The radio is turned off because who would be speaking anyway?

 _Two men are sitting inside. One of them is driving, the other is constantly chattering about something._  
There is a certain sweetness to the feeling of driving through the night together.  
They go further and further until suddenly they stop.

_In the last, reddish light of the day there is a second vehicle approaching.  
It stops close enough so they can see each other._

_As the two men get out of the car, the same happens in the one in front of them._  
There is nodding and laughter as they come over and join them. Sitting on the front of their vehicles.  
  
By now, the sky has darkened and sun has made place for many, more distant suns.

 _One of the men lays his head back and looks up at them._  
"Did you notice the milky way is parallel to Route 800? That's physically impossible. It should actually have a angle of..." -"Oh, come on! You are even boring your own boyfriend," A man that looks like him in almost every respect interrupts. "How about I tell you what happened at the hospital today, instead?"  
The "Shut up!" and "I really wanted to hear this!" come back at the same time, and the two men that don't look quite like them grin at each other.    
  
"What is even that ridiculous thing you are wearing?" - "Oh that? It's just the super awesome, new shirt of your football team's worst nightmare."  
"We'll see about that next season."  
"By the way, what do you think of the slogan "Beat you laughing. We're not bluffing."?"  
"It's honestly the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Like. It doesn't even rhyme properly." - "And that's not even the best part. Wait 'til you see.."

 _They go on like this for a while until the moon has crossed a big part of the sky._  
When it's time to get back, the men wave each other good bye and get into their separate cars to drive home.  
In the morning they will remember everything.  


_That was traffic._

\---

 _So, here we are once again, dear listeners._  
_We've come a long way and hopefully there is still a long road ahead of us._  
  
_I would like to tell you that everything is going our way now._  
_I would like to tell you that everything will be just perfect._  
_I'd really like to, but of course I can't._  
  
_There are still many buildings abandoned and demolished, all over town._  
_Many people are feeling abandoned and demolished as well. Old wounds don't just heal over night._

 _On the other side of the room, intern Vanessa is smiling._  
_Or at least she does it in the picture of her, I hanged on the wall. It's there to remind me both that she once was here and that she isn't anymore._  
_..._  
_Oh, congratulations by the way, to our new intern Ed! I'm sure you will have a thrilling time here._  
  
As I was saying. Recovery is never a fast or an easy process, but then again, what is?  
_This might not be a fresh start, but at least it's a new chapter._  
_Let's start this one together. Face whatever comes next as a community again._  
  
_And speaking of community and old grudges. Don't miss tonight's game against our favorite nemesis, the Night Vale Scorpions._  
_We might even switch over to our neighbors station to get a statement on how they are taking their defeat._

_This should be a fun one._


End file.
